I was shocked recently to look at my blog and see that my last post was in January. A lot has changed for me since then; I have a new job as a medical scribe in an orthopedics clinic, so life is good but very hectic for me. But I did want to make sure I did the traditional post for Steve’s birthday (and Jim’s, but mostly Steve’s).
In 2012, Kermit went to Germany to promote The Muppets (2011) and gave an interview to a radio station in Berlin:
I’m not sure what made me think about this video again, but there are a couple of things that stood out to me. There are long stretches of time in which the interviewers have to translate Kermit’s answers, and Steve does a lot of funny little gags that would be completely lost to the radio audience. Steve often talks about how important it is for the puppet to remain alive and aware throughout the entire performance, and this is a really good example of that.
The other thing that gets me about this interview is that, when asked to rate his optimism for the future of humanity on a scale of 1 to 10, Kermit rates it at a 9. That really touches my heart because, on a good day, I might get up to 7. I don’t know how much of that is Kermit and how much is Steve, but based on what I do know of Steve, it seems very much in character for both of them.
Happy birthday, Steve! Thanks for all the wonderful memories and the good work you’re still doing. 💚💛
Frog of La Mancha 
Just out of curiosity, is Steve Whitmire the only puppeteer that you’ve gotten to meet (whether in person or virtually) so far?
The reason I ask is because he’s the only puppeteer I’ve gotten to meet as of this month (I’d love to meet another Muppet performer, but they don’t seem to do a lot of conventions, I guess because they’re so busy).
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Steve is the only Muppet performer that I’ve met.
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Had the privilege of meeting Steve in person at GalaxyCon-Raleigh in July. He was very gracious and actually remembered my multiple comments on his blog after the “Ker-fuffle.” We had a good talk and I told him how much I stto by his views of who kermit should be and honoring that part of Jim Henson’s legacy.
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OMG, Thank You SO Much for sharing! I was not aware of this interview before, and it was full 10 minutes of unbridled joy to watch! Followed by the rush of sadness to realize just what we lost when Kermit was fired.
Lucky we still have Weldon and can catch a glimpse of the same energy and joy watching his space escapades this year!
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I loved Steve’s Muppet Pundit and I really miss receiving new blog posts from him (the last post was in November 2021). I just loved how insightful, emotional and even soulful his writing on his blog and I was truly amazed with the Muppets culture that I wasn’t very familiar with from the veteran Muppet performer himself.
And, I miss working and playing with Weldon on CAVE-iN. The fact I’ve had been involved in the show and had so many chances to collaborate with him gave me the opportunity to get to know him more and learn how he did puppetry and some other stuff….it feels surreal that it happened a few times for me even though we literally never met before physically.
I’m truly grateful for the memories that we had for the last 3 years since I joined CAVE-iN. I didn’t expect him to let me be part of the community but here I am….Though we have our own different backgrounds and may be far apart geographically, I pray that our bonds remain strong. I look forward to the day when our paths might cross in person, allowing us to create new memories and deepen our connection, God-willing 🤍
Thank you Steve for being a cherished part of my life, even from afar. ❤️ May you be blessed with happiness, prosperity and good health. 💚💛
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